Every year it happens. We are so excited for Halloween! As soon as the month of October hits, it’s time to pull the skeletons out of the closet and drape the sheets over your head. Goblins, ghosts, and ghouls galore! Wal*Mart has been putting up displays and hanging costumes since the middle of September. You can almost taste the pumpkin spiced lattes from Starbucks (because all of us have a little bit of the stereotypical white girl buried inside of us). Some people don’t like the pumpkin spiced lattes and that’s okay because the start of October also signifies the season for hot chocolate and apple cider. All of the wonderful things that fall brings -- it all really begins with October. Haunted houses, bonfires, and the falling of leaves.
But as soon as the calendar changes from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, the anticipation does a complete flip. No longer are we cruising through the aisles in search of costumes; we are now on a mission to find wreaths. More hot chocolate. Small Christmas trees and the movie "Elf". Gingerbread houses and homemade chocolate chip cookies are scattered across the counter tops and families are breaking out the porcelain nativity sets. Wal*Mart and Target alike are stocking the shelves with tinsel, wreaths, mini santa claus figurines, and reindeer. BUT…
Wait a minute…
It’s only November 1? There are 55 more days until we reach Christmas Day.
What about Thanksgiving?
Every year we skip right from the excitement of Halloween to the happiness of Christmas, but in the jumble we forget about one of the most underrated holidays within the calendar year. Thanksgiving is a time to remember everything we are thankful for. Many people gear up for Black Friday shopping (which has become more of a black Thursday shopping). The deals are great -- don’t get me wrong -- I just think we need to give credit where credit is due. Forget about the great deals on the latest style of boots for a second and remember not only about the existence of Thanksgiving, but take some time to appreciate it.
Every year my mom smokes a turkey and makes some stuffing. She spends hours putting together a meal of fantastic mashed potatoes with homemade gravy. She invites the family over and sets the table. One day of the year my family sets aside our differences and our beliefs to come together and share a meal that my mom has spent hours preparing.
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I think that it is important to remember all the things in our lives we have to be thankful for. Our family members, or if not, our friends. The people who care about us. We should be thankful to have a job, some form of shelter, and something to eat (and for other college students like myself, the chance to better my education). There are so many little things we take for granted on a day to day basis (for example, Thanksgiving) and we should slow down to thank the people in our lives for everything they do for us.
So, there’s one thing I would like you to take away from this article: this year, while you’re out shopping for the hottest deals on Black Friday, remember the things you already have to be thankful about. Things that many other people don’t have. I’m not saying you should feel guilty for taking advantage of some sweet deals, because I’m guilty of the same. I’m saying that if we slow down to take a look at all of the things in front of us, we might just realize we already have everything we could ever possibly need.
